Most of you are in one of the four Durango Hellcat groups on Facebook so this isn't new, but I wanted to start a thread to hopefully keep updated with any relevant information.
Let me add to the rumor mill a bit with a discovery over the weekend. While checking a VIN for a DDHC being parted out by Schram Auto Parts I noticed it was actually a 2023 model. Naturally, I dug a bit deeper and found at least 14 2023 Dodge Durango Hellcats that Dodge produced as "vehicle development pilots." Why would Dodge build pilot vehicles with 2023 VIN numbers? Was 2023 the original model year planned for the DDHC and Dodge pivoted and pulled it forward to 2021 and as such all other pilot vehicle VINs are 2021s as they were produced after the 2023s?
Who knows, but here is a little bit more about how these 2023 pilots were configured...
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Let me add to the rumor mill a bit with a discovery over the weekend. While checking a VIN for a DDHC being parted out by Schram Auto Parts I noticed it was actually a 2023 model. Naturally, I dug a bit deeper and found at least 14 2023 Dodge Durango Hellcats that Dodge produced as "vehicle development pilots." Why would Dodge build pilot vehicles with 2023 VIN numbers? Was 2023 the original model year planned for the DDHC and Dodge pivoted and pulled it forward to 2021 and as such all other pilot vehicle VINs are 2021s as they were produced after the 2023s?
Who knows, but here is a little bit more about how these 2023 pilots were configured...
- All of them list Rear Seat Reminder Alert as standard (new feature)
- Half were White Knuckle while the other half were DB Black
- All but one was built with Demonic Red Leather
- The only option on the one with Black interior was the Lightweight Package
- All of them had Blind Spot / Cross Path as standard (similar to 2022)
- All but the one with zero options were built with sunroofs, roof rails, roof cross bars, cargo compartment shade, and the Trailer Tow IV group.
- Some were built with Forged Carbon Fiber Interior Accents but not the rest of the Premium Interior Group features
- All of them had a "Restricted Models/Options" line item
- No differences listed for engine, transmission, driveline, etc. (same as 2021 build sheets)
- These will not be saleable units as Dodge has several rounds of pre-production builds, with the last round usually having some saleable units closer to production (similar to the 2021 DDHC pre-production units that have been hitting the auto auction scene with 500XXX VINs).
